Louisiana athletics operated at $8 million deficit during 2023 fiscal year

[ManAboutTown]

Game day experience in football is horrendous; it is more like watching a video game with bad concessions than actually being at a college game.

The University has been an abject failure for 40 years or more in establishing a positive experience for students at athletic events; in fact, MH seems to actively discourage student fan participation.

The University has an entitlement attitude toward the fan base. They need to learn that the public does not owe them ____; it is their responsibility to enthusiastically pursue fan participation through every means available. Fans are earned, not gifted.

Absolutely.

[RaginScotsman]

SBC championship should have been the jumping off point. Instead they ignored it even told us they couldn't even afford a championship banner. Then spent double on an R1 banner for the CD.

I'm with you on the SBC Championship. You sold 30k plus tickets from scratch for that. No other school came close since they've started the Championship game. I remember after that thinking that this is our time. The community was buzzing.

...then, nothing. Not an effort. I mean, the fact that no one has even addressed the lack of a banner or acknowledgment of any sort is just mind numbing.

[fanof71]

Game day experience in football is horrendous; it is more like watching a video game with bad concessions than actually being at a college game.

The University has been an abject failure for 40 years or more in establishing a positive experience for students at athletic events; in fact, MH seems to actively discourage student fan participation.

The University has an entitlement attitude toward the fan base. They need to learn that the public does not owe them ____; it is their responsibility to enthusiastically pursue fan participation through every means available. Fans are earned, not gifted.

True This

[facelessjonmoon]

I'm with you on the SBC Championship. You sold 30k plus tickets from scratch for that. No other school came close since they've started the Championship game. I remember after that thinking that this is our time. The community was buzzing.

...then, nothing. Not an effort. I mean, the fact that no one has even addressed the lack of a banner or acknowledgment of any sort is just mind numbing.

Only way to fix that now is for Des to go out and prove casual fans wrong.... An actual Revenge tour is needed

[ManAboutTown]

I'm with you on the SBC Championship. You sold 30k plus tickets from scratch for that. No other school came close since they've started the Championship game. I remember after that thinking that this is our time. The community was buzzing.

...then, nothing. Not an effort. I mean, the fact that no one has even addressed the lack of a banner or acknowledgment of any sort is just mind numbing.

The exact same thing happened in 2014 when we won the conference and competed in national postseasons in all major sports. It's like MH says, "Ooops. Too much success. Let's tamper that down now."

[Rainman66]

After reading all this … two questions:

1. Who was the last AD that that connected with our community?

2. Anyone have actual financial numbers on other Sunbelt schools?


The G5 model is broken and gonna get worse, as P5s are getting ready to have nine conference games and be pushed to have at least one non-conference P5 opponent as well. The ‘money’ road games for G5 teams are going to be fewer. Yes, this only discussing football, because that is where the majority of the revenue & expenses reside.

[ZoomZoom]

100% Someone get this information to the leaders of our athletics.

Hard to deliver a message to a bunch of ostriches.

Only way to fix that now is for Des to go out and prove casual fans wrong.... An actual Revenge tour is needed

Can’t frame it that way being the first “revenge tour” wasn’t received well. Just win.

[ULvictory]

Game day experience in football is horrendous; it is more like watching a video game with bad concessions than actually being at a college game.

The University has been an abject failure for 40 years or more in establishing a positive experience for students at athletic events; in fact, MH seems to actively discourage student fan participation.

The University has an entitlement attitude toward the fan base. They need to learn that the public does not owe them ____; it is their responsibility to enthusiastically pursue fan participation through every means available. Fans are earned, not gifted.

This

[Clutch0364]

SBC championship should have been the jumping off point. Instead they ignored it even told us they couldn't even afford a championship banner. Then spent double on an R1 banner for the CD.

It didn’t help that they made the least exciting hire they could make. For me it said we are not trying to take the next step and continue what has been built.

[CajunVic]

It didn’t help that they made the least exciting hire they could make. For me it said we are not trying to take the next step and continue what has been built.

Looking at the financial picture just presented, where do you think they would have raised the money for a splash hire?

Remember, we were already $2.6mm in the hole Napier's last year even with those two years or record performances in football.

[babysitter]

We literally are staring at not having a program. Like, that's where we are. We've lost ~$12mm in 24 months. So our real athletic budget is somewhere around $28mm, which is FCS level. Can't pay the cost of attendance stipend, can't pay an NIL director, can't afford staff to support marketing and sales. Can't support media in this time because you won't hold them to a standard. Won't reach out and work with other platforms. Won't get in the community and sell your brand.

They knew these numbers a year ago. Should have been a 5 alarm fire going off last year. Just what the ____ have they been doing to remedy the issue?

Oh Ohhhh...FCS. Someone finally said those horrible three words. That's exactly where this football and basketball programs should be and are headed there on a rapid pace given out superior financial resume'.

[Scott Malkinson]

I'm with you on the SBC Championship. You sold 30k plus tickets from scratch for that. No other school came close since they've started the Championship game. I remember after that thinking that this is our time. The community was buzzing.

...then, nothing. Not an effort. I mean, the fact that no one has even addressed the lack of a banner or acknowledgment of any sort is just mind numbing.

The game was top notch I had an Texas A&m coworker at the game. He even said that was one of the funnest games he had been to. We literally all the momentum and said nope.